How to go on after Toys “R” Us ceases to exist

At the heart of every family tradition is a meaningful experience.

We had a wonderful family tradition in the early 90’s.

On Friday evenings after work, I would pick the kids up from day care, take them to the Chinese restaurant and put in our order. We would then walk next door to Blockbuster to choose a movie and head back to pick up the food. While heading back we did this sort of conga/salsa dance move singing a little homemade song to the words ‘Chinese food and movies’.

Friday’s were sacred and totally dedicated to family time after a busy work week. All the week night rules were out the window. We popped the movie in the VCR, sat in front of the TV and ate our Chinese food.

The tradition lasted until Blockbuster went out of business.

But their failure to evolve as a business was not going to impact our family tradition; we simply moved to Netflix.

Now, with the liquidation of Toys “R” Us many family traditions will change. Where they would have headed to the store to celebrate a good report card, birthday, or holiday, that special trip just won’t happen again.

But you don’t have to lose the joy because you lost the toy. Instead build memories with experiential gifts.

Why reward the report card, when you can reward the effort? If your child just completed a dinosaur diorama, take them to a museum that features dinosaurs such as The Museum of Natural History.

Why just give a book as a gift, when you can give a whole experience? One of the best gifts my daughter received from family was the book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, celebrated with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and lunch in Brooklyn.

If you are one of those amazing sports families, you may want to consider planning a trip to the hall of fame of your favorite sport.

There are many opportunities where families can stay close to home, and for little money attend local festivals, or support the local high school by attending concerts, plays and sporting events. This also teaches kids they are part of a community.

Rather than worrying about your kids’ use of technology, host family game nights.

Why wait for the big holidays? You can celebrate everyday holidays so there is always something to look forward to.

Here are a few examples:

January

Science Fiction Day – Jan 2nd

Sunday Supper Day – Jan 14th

Kazoo Day – Jan 28th

February

Random Acts of Kindness – Feb 17th

Margarita Day – Feb 22nd (ok, that’s clearly NOT for the kids!)

Tell a Fairy Tale Day – Feb 26th

March

Dr. Seuss Day (Read across America) Mar 2nd

Pi Day – Mar 14th

Take a Walk in the Park Day – Mar 30th

April

Peanut Butter & Jelly Day – Apr 2nd

Teach Children to Save Day – Apr 20th

Take our Kids to Work Day – Apr 26th

May

Star Wars Day – May 4th

Teacher Appreciation Day – May 8th

Take your Parents to the Playground Day – May 20th

June

Drive-In Movie Day – Jun 6th

Flag Day – June 14th

Meteor Watch Day – Jun 30th

July

Mac and Cheese Day – Jul 14th

Toss away ‘Could Have Should Have’ Day – Jul 21st

Cousins Day – Jul 24th

August

Friendship Day – Aug 5th

Bowling Day – Aug 11th

Tooth Fairy Day – Aug 22nd

September

Day of Encouragement – Sep 12th

Talk Like a Pirate Day – Sep 19th

Family Health and Fitness Day – Sep 29th

October

Do Something Nice Day – Oct 5th

Mad Hatter Day – Oct 6th

Magic Day – Oct 31st

November

STEM/STEAM Day – Nov 8th

Philanthropy Day – Nov 15th

Day of Giving – Nov 27th

December

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day – Dec 8th

Nobel Prize Day – Dec 10th

Thank –You Note Day – Dec 26th

Here are 62 ideas I posted last year, that are especially helpful as you plan for summer.

Personally, I am deeply saddened by the store closings. I so enjoyed taking my children there, and I was looking forward to taking my grandchildren there too. I worked at Toys “R” Us for many years with amazing and talented people who will not only lose the traditions, but their jobs.

Change is the only constant, but we need to teach our children resilience. I hope these ideas help all of us move on.